Happy Birthday Avery!

Somehow, over the past 4 years, our adorable little newborn has turned into a 4 year old! It is really unbelievable how quickly the 4 years has passed. Avery is a fun-loving, sensitive, and extremely chatty little girl. She loves to color, play with her stuffed animals, and steal as much screen time as she can. Luckily, she also enjoys being outside, attending her dance class, and just plain going out. She will ask each morning, "Mom, where are we going today?" She loves to wrestle with Daddy, help Mommy in the kitchen, and she can giggle with Owen for hours. While I sometimes feel that she is 4 going 14 (can you say emotional roller coaster?), she usually tries hard to please, and she really is a big helper.

For our family birthday party, Avery really wanted a Hello Kitty cake. She was so excited about the whole thing, she even "helped" me frost the cake. We went to the park and ate pizza, opened gifts and sang Happy Birthday. She was lucky enough to have both sets of grandparents there, as well Laura and Rob's family and "Cousin Rob". Avery loves spending time with her extended family.

What a cute birthday girl!

Blowing out the candle.

Owen had a blast with those balloons.

For some odd reason, Avery LOVES cards. It is almost her favorite spot at a Target store, second only to the toy section. This was the same card we bought Uncle Matt over a year ago. It plays the theme song of "Rocky", and Avery still plays it every time we go to the store.

She finds it hilarious. :)

Opening her treasure chest of dress-up clothes.

Somehow, Avery managed to get 2 parties this year. This is the first time that she has really wanted a friend party. As it was a crazy time of year, we had a small party with a few friends from our neighborhood and one of Avery's new friends from church. Avery chose a Princess theme, which was amusing as half of her guests were boys. They didn't seem to mind. They ate Princess Spaghetti-Os, watched Cinderella, and enjoyed some cake and ice cream. Avery wanted a princess cake, and I have always wanted to try one of those that you actually stick the doll inside. Luckily, I knew a friend who had made one before. It really wasn't that hard, but I was up until midnight, the night before the party, frosting her dress.

The Princess Tiana cake

What a great time!

Happy Birthday, Avery Girl!